Technology could help prevent workplace injuries

On Behalf of | Apr 23, 2019 | Workers' Compensation

Construction workers in New Jersey may face a range of dangers on the job. They often deal with heavy equipment and complicated machinery, and they may work on partially constructed buildings or other open structures. These problems are exacerbated by employers that fail to live up to federal standards for workplace safety, exposing construction workers to serious risks. Indeed, workers in construction lose their lives on the job five times as often as those in any other industry. On average, 14 people are killed every day while doing construction work.

Various types of construction accidents have also seen an escalation, with deadly workplace injuries related to being struck by equipment growing by 34 percent in the past 10 years. As a result, responsible companies, worker advocates and regulators have been looking for solutions that could provide a greater level of safety to employees in construction. Some are turning to technology for the answer, including adopting artificial intelligence mechanisms to increase workplace safety. There are several ways that AI could help make a construction site safer. Some of the riskiest events that happen on the job are a surprise of some kind, from equipment mishaps to serious falls.

AI software can help workers and managers gain a deeper understanding of the site, highlighting potential dangers and issues before a serious workplace injury happens. In addition, AI software is particularly skilled in identifying hazards and violations. Tasks that can take human inspectors up to five hours can be completed by AI software in less than five minutes.

Of course, many workers face especially serious dangers at workplaces that fail to follow existing safety regulations, let alone introducing new technologies. Employees injured on the job might opt to work with a workers’ compensation lawyer for assistance in seeking the benefits or other compensation the worker needs.